Thank you Winston for keeping us updated on Madame X over the years. I don't get much of a chance to comment as I am really busy at work and at home, but wanted to know I follow this thread and appreciate your updates

Hazel thats a baby from last year or the year befiore I cant remember! I think that was a female that weighed in at 1100 grams.....the males are much smaller between 500-700 grams....they fly really good because they have less weight to carry! how typical eh

Hey Winston, you are a bit of a gardener, git up there and pull them weeds will ya'
Chris thats the top of the building are you kidding!! I thinks its 12 floors?? I keep hoping every banding day that I might get asked to go into the room ands see the banding and the chicks up close...so far no go! thats okay I have patience. Chris if your at home on banding day you be able to see live on the web cam the fella from the MNR he climbs over the roof...down the front of building and into the nest..retrieves the chicks..sends the chicks back up via the rope and then he sits and waits....the whole time MadameX is not pleased at all and trys to attack him...he has been doing it for yrs so he doesnt even get bothered by her!

If you get a chance to watch it live its pretty cool...he will once again pull out the weed...I suspect they make ask him to be 100 sure he got the root because it is really BIG this year! and it impedes the view of the camera. No action or updates today! Madame X is just brooding those eggs away!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

Well still nothing to update. Madame X continues to brood her eggs. She will likely have a hatch this weekend. Always in time for Mothers Day! Keep your eyes posted on the web cam...you may look and see a big white ball of fluff and youll know its a baby! Now the fun begins watching them grow and to think in about 45 days they will be flying the skys around Hamilton!!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

May 6, 2010 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: The long wait IS over for Madame X and Surge. The image at left, taken at 10:02 this morning, clearly shows the first young Peregrine of 2010 in the Sheraton Hamilton nest. As of noon the presence of the chick and the three remaining eggs was confirmed by telescope. This is one year to the day, and almost to the minute, of the first chick's appearance last year. We are on our way!!!

Today Madame X took full charge of the eggs, her usual style when it gets this close to hatching. It's disappointing not to be able to follow as closely from our home computers as we usually do. I sure hope the chicks will be as hardy as the bloomin' weed. Once the chicks hatch and get moving around they should trample the weed down, giving us a better view.

Even through the weed I could see that Madame X was restless this morning. She sat tight all afternoon with her back towards the camera and me, so even from the Stelco Tower I didn't get a look under her. She may have been restless because she heard 'pipping' and perhaps also because the wind was strong and gusty. Despite the shelter of the scrape, her feathers were being well ruffled by the wind. Surge visited the nest ledge every hour or so and had a little 'chat' with Madame X, but she didn't budge. Surge would make a few passes by the nest and return to his nearby sentry post. At one point three passing turkey vultures drew his attention and there was nothing mild mannered about the reception he gave them. Madame X didn't leave the eggs, but she finally turned around so that I at least had a glimpse of the front two eggs while she was 'jiggling and squiggling'.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

Chico it is absolutely horrible here and I always worry that the chicks will not be viable with all this cold weather but the people that I volunteer with say that they are nice and cozy under mom! and she protects them from alot.

Besides is wont be long before they are laying flat out on their bellys in the hot sun and god too look at them you'd think they were dead!

1 Down 3 to go! usually a couple of days apart so maybe late tonight or tomorow check in!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

May 7, 2010 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: Just before 14:00 today Madame X stepped onto the upper ledge, providing a clear look at two white fluffballs. Seconds later Surge came in with lunch and proceeded to feed the chicks while herself watched, as can be seen in the image at left. Two more chicks to come - we hope - and warmer weather after the rain and winds clear out tomorrow. Stay tuned!!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

May 8, 2010 - At 14:25 today Surge brought in some food and Madame X stepped onto the upper ledge, providing a clear look at three fluffy white chicks, as seen in the image at left. Today's high winds seem to have bent the weed a bit to the south, providing a better view of the nest corner, and we hope that it will not move back. Getting ready for Number Four - stay tuned!!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

May 10, 2010 - Lead monitor Audrey Gamble reports: At 12:18 today Madame X and Surge completed what has become an annual Mother's Day Weekend event - successful hatching of four apparently healthy chicks. In the image at left, taken at 14:37 this afternoon, it looks like X and Surge (back to the camera) are congratulating each other on a job well done, so far. In the background, although not totally discernable as separate individuals, are the four chicks. Congratulations, Ma and Pa!

Now the fun begins. Banding will be in about 3-4 weeks - watch how these little ones grow in that time. Stay Tuned!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

May 12, 2010 - At 17:02 today the adults were out of the nest ledge briefly and our webcam caught the image at left. If you look closely you can clearly see four separate falcon-chick noggins. The largest chick seems to be saying, "All right you guys, listen up." We were tempted to say that they are growing like bad weeds, but refrained because of the errant piece of vegetation sharing the nest ledge. Keep watching to see these little guys grow every day.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

yep Chico all is well so far! it appears all are getting food! the one in the foreground is just having a nap! its even worse when its hotter, they lay flat on their face spread eagle and just lay there! you would think their dead for sure!~

On a sad note I watched a peregrine family in the Netherlands live for a very long time...a few years back one of the chicks was the last to hatch and many days after the others, obviously very small and you could tell it wasnt going to make it. The mom and dad tried to feed it and keep it going but it appeared to be very under developed. It passed away one night while thousands of us watched online and it was quite sad. Having said that it is nature?? It was even sadder to see Mom discard it from the nest! In peregrines with multiple chicks you can always see the first born be the bully in getting food....mom and dad know to give to the others but when there are 4 of you, you have to stand up for your food or you wont get any!

Chico what was even more amazing was that the female of the nest sadly lost her battle for the territory after having laid 3 eggs. No one knew what would happen. Well Dad stepped up to the plate and brooded them until a short while after they hatched they accepted the new female as thier mom! she must have been a new mom too because the chicks wouls squak at her and she would fly away...pretty crazy that year but amazing to be able to see whats going on high up on tower in the Netherlands!

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown